1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to display apparatus, and more particularly is directed to a display apparatus suitable for use with a group education system, such as a group language system or a group musical instrument exercising system, and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the development of interactive computer teaching systems, there are now available group education systems where each student is seated at a terminal and the teacher is seated at a console which receives information from the student terminals and transmits information thereto. For instance, a student in need of assistance may transmit a signal from his terminal to the console. Alternatively, the students may receive questions transmitted from the console to the terminals individually or as a group, and may then send back answers to the console. In order to effectively monitor the student activity, it has been proposed to have a display apparatus at the console with a display screen on which may be displayed information about the students. Such information may concern questions and answers communicated between the teacher and the students, a listing of teaching materials, student attendance, monitoring of the students' progress during the education session, and so forth.
One particularly advantageous and useful display of information would be a display corresponding to the seating arrangement of the students. If the classroom were viewed from above, the terminals would appear as a pattern of seats. A display of seat images in this pattern would provide the teacher with an orderly and complete view of the classroom as it is being used. In this regard, it is highly desirable that the pattern of seat images on the display screen correspond closely to the actual pattern of seats, or terminals, as occupied by the students at any particular time. If then, for example, the teacher wishes to confirm the attendance of all the students in his class, he may signal each student to transmit a return signal from his terminal. The return signal would create an indication in the respective seat image on the screen. If one of the seat images did not carry this indication, then the teacher would know the student is absent.
However, the arrangement of seats or terminals is frequently changed in accordance with the size of the classroom, the number of students, the particular students attending on a particular day, or the content of the lesson. In such a case, if the seat images on the screen have been permanently assigned in one particular pattern, they will very likely not correspond to the actual terminal positions in the classroom. It is therefore highly desirable that not only should a variety of patterns of seat images be available to correspond with any practical seating arrangement in the classroom, but also that only the seats actually occupied have a corresponding seat image on the display screen.
In a previously proposed group education system, the seat images on the screen could be selected by either actuating a display switch or by mounting a display lamp in a particular position to make the pattern of seat images on the display screen correspond to the actual seating arrangement in the classroom. However, this seat selection operation is quite complicated and cannot be performed without difficulty.